I spoke with April Francis, who says she founded Dose after her years as a stylist made her aware of great local designers and artisans who struggled to get noticed.

"When Hejfina closed, I was so bummed," she said, referring to the renowned Wicker Park boutique owned by Heiji Choy Black that shuttered during the recession. "There wasn't a lot going on in retail."

She was helping her friend Christina Fan, of C/Fan, get her designs into local boutiques and working with clients through her styling firm, Haute Closet, but realized a connection was missing.

"Consumers are interested in meeting the designers and meeting the chefs behind the work and the food," she said. "And that helps the artisans get that immediate feedback."

Without going into detail about why the other three Dosers decamped, Ms. Francis said Dose will continue on. The next market is scheduled for July 29.

"Dose is the culmination of my entire career working with small businesses," she said. "It's going to continue and we're going to continue to grow."

Meanwhile, I also spoke to Heather Sperling, one of the departed Dose organizers (who is also the Chicago editor of daily food e-mail Tasting Table).

Ms. Sperling said she and co-organizers Emily Fiffer (the Chicago editor of shopping e-mail Daily Candy) and Jessica Herman (the associate shopping editor at Time Out Chicago magazine) are now working on a new project due this fall that sounds pretty similar to Dose.

"It will have a base in commercial exchange and it will provide a forum for some of our favorite artists and artisans and entrepreneurs to gain access to a wider audience," she told me.

I don't know any of the Dose women well, but have followed their media work and attended Dose since the beginning. All seem savvy, smart and passionate about what they do, and I'd like to think Chicago possesses enough enthusiasm for local shopping to support two versions of the market. Stay tuned.